Girl found in plastic tote died at least 4 years ago, police say

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

Please enable Javascript to watch this video

EVERETT, Wash. – Detectives have found the remains of a 4-year-old girl who died at least four years ago hidden in a plastic tote in Everett, Washington.

Snohomish County Sheriff’s detectives said they believe the girl died several years ago while she was with her biological mother and the mother’s boyfriend.

The mother and boyfriend panicked when the girl died because they had a history with the police, detectives believe. Rather than report the death, they wrapped the girl’s body up and put it in the container.

Relatives said they believe the girl’s body was kept at the couple’s home until it began to smell, so they poured concrete over the body in the container. The relatives said the couple kept the body for several years, and eventually stashed it at a relative’s home.

Detectives found the body after they served a search warrant last Saturday.

Police said the girl’s biological mother told family members – including her other children – several different stories about how the girl died.

The girl, who would be 9 if she were still alive, hasn’t been enrolled in school and there’s no evidence of her being alive since September 2010, when she was immunized.

No arrests have been made, and the girl’s cause and manner of death haven’t been determined.